Three Parts Fey (4 page)

The gathering
laughed, and Benny was content for that one moment. Everything felt
right.

The next afternoon,
Benny and the guys arrived at the XIA building and walked through
security.

One by one,
they walked through the scanners and none of them set off the demon
sensors. They each picked up new identification packs at security,
just in case. Benny made a face at her identification, but she
smiled at the badge. It was always weird to see her full name
spelled out.

She folded the
identification into the leather cover and headed for the locker
room with the rest of her group.

The
quartermaster gave her the uniforms and her locker key. When she
was changed, she would get her gear, but she wasn’t being given
weapons for a while.

Locker
seventy-six was in the far corner of the change room. Benny
stripped off her t-shirt and jeans before sliding on the matte
black of the XIA t-shirt and the matching loose trousers. The belt
snugged in her waist, and she put on her calf-high boots.

Benny pulled a
marker from her purse and slipped it into a pocket of the jacket.
As she slipped her identification into the interior pocket, she
also grabbed her cash wallet. Everything else was going to be
locked and sealed in the locker room. Her cuffs were snugged at the
base of her back. As she latched the locker, she took the marker
out and traced a small line. The itty-bitty bit of magic would keep
anyone from messing with her locker.

She met the
guys on the other side of the locker room, and Agent Smith whistled
low.

Agent Argyle
smiled. “Looking good, Agent Ganger.”

“Thank you,
Agent Argyle.”

Agent Tremble
finished wrapping his hair into a tight braid, and he flicked it
behind him. “Ready when you are.”

They left the
room and were heading for the hall that led to the parking lot when
Captain Matheson stepped in front of them. “Come with me.”

Bemused, Benny
led her group into a boardroom and they had a seat in the chairs
across from the captain.

The captain sat
down and then got up again, pacing. “How did you do it?”

They looked at
each other and shrugged. Tremble asked, “What?”

“How did you
dampen the traces of demon blood? We know about the demon blood,
but the scanners didn’t pick it up.”

Benny scratched
the side of her nose. “From what I have observed, the scanners
don’t look for the blood; they look for what could be called a
demon tie. A bond to a demon king. I no longer have that.”

The captain
paused. “How is that possible?”

Smith chimed
in, “It wasn’t easy.”

Argyle
snickered.

The captain ran
his hands through his hair. “Damn. Well, unfortunately, it is well
known that Agent Ganger has strong demon blood. The security
officer was a little confused when none of you popped
positive.”

Benny leaned
forward. “If you want to know how to design a demon detector, ask
my dad. He designed the original systems, but as long as you are
still looking for connections to a high king demon, you will be
finding people who can be influenced by blood.”

“And that is no
longer the case with you.”

“Nope. There
was a spell and ritual that managed to release all of my family
line from the high king’s influence. From his blood to my blood and
beyond, we are now free.”

Captain
Matheson pinched the bridge of his nose. “I do not want to know
what was involved in that particular manoeuvre, do I?”

“Not
particularly. Simply know that my father, mother and myself are no
longer susceptible to demon influence, though my father and I may
manifest the physical traits now and then.”

Matheson looked
at her partners. “You all are okay with this?”

They looked at
each other and shrugged before stating, “Yes.”

Benny didn’t
smirk, though she did want to. She straightened her shoulders.

Captain
Matheson inhaled, “Well, as you are our only mage-equipped team,
you will have to take over the crossover calls. The seers have been
going crazy, and we think another wave is building. The city is on
alert.”

Benny leaned
forward. “Is there any idea of the location of the incoming
wave?”

Matheson
grimaced. “We don’t know where, we don’t know when, we just know it
is close in all respects. It is why we needed you back so quickly.
We need you on duty when and if it happens on a night shift.”

Argyle nodded.
“Right. Not a problem.”

Benny looked at
him with her brows raised. “Glad you have confidence, Argyle.”

The other two
laughed.

Matheson’s
expression turned from tense to amazed. “You are all bound
together.” He thudded into his chair again, obviously picking up on
the mingled scents through is senses.

Benny shrugged.
“My contract says we could, so we did.”

Tremble
chuckled. “I am sure that you will be invited to the wedding.”

The captain
leaned back. “So, that kind of binding.”

Benny nodded.
“Yes, Captain. Are we cleared for duty this evening?”

“Yes. By the
way, Argyle, I am surprised to see you here so early.”

Argyle got to
his feet. “Benny has brought light back to my life, in several
ways. My new tolerance for sunlight is one of them.”

The rest of
them got to their feet, and the captain remained seated. “Have a
good shift.”

They all nodded
and filed out of the boardroom.

Smith signed
out the vehicle, and they all signed out a black bag filled with
replacement clothing and, for the guys, additional weaponry.

Benny had her
singular weapon tucked into the top of her boot. The folds of her
trousers hid the small, narrow hilt and grip.

She put her bag
next to theirs in the back of the SUV, and she headed for the rear
seat on the driver’s side.

Smith stopped
her. “Agent Ganger, you are going to be manning the computer.”

She grinned and
headed for the front passenger seat, buckling in. The computer was
on a support, and she opened it up, searching the system for any
active calls.

Smith was
smiling at her.

She sighed.
“Nothing yet. Drive. Head for the waterfront. It usually goes off
as soon as the sun goes down.”

“Yes, Agent
Ganger.”

He backed out
of the parking spot and headed to the waterfront. When the ping
came, they were almost on top of it.

“Agatha’s Charm
School. They have an incursion.”

He hit the gas
and came to a halt in front of one of the weather-beaten buildings
on the waterfront.

She slipped in
an earpiece and listened to the emergency call. “Two eagle shifters
are looking for money and protection spells. The owner is confined
in her office.”

Smith and
Argyle moved quickly, Benny unbuckled and kept listening to the
call. The woman was panicked. The shifters had threatened to come
in and abuse her if they didn’t find what they sought.

She left the
car and spoke to Tremble. “I am going in for the shopkeeper.”

He nodded and
followed her. “Stay out of the way. If they come at you, duck.”

Benny nodded
and slipped into the shop, the dim light caused her to blink for a
few seconds, but the scent of blood and magic pulled her onward.
She heard the collision of bodies in the rear of the school, but
she turned toward the office.

The soft
sobbing in her ear continued and that in itself was wrong. The
caller had been informed that there were XIA agents in the
building, but she hadn’t stopped weeping.

Tremble nodded
when Benny gestured for them to be silent as they approached the
office door.

The door had a
chair in front of it, a theoretical blockade. The problem was that
the door opened inward.

Tremble pushed
past Benny, and he drew his weapon. He silently moved the chair
away and prepared to enter.

When he nodded,
he opened the door and rolled to one side an instant before a
fireball blazed outward. Benny ducked in after the flame receded
and threw herself to the floor.

She heard a
startled cry, but the sobs continued in her earpiece. The blood
scent led her to a bottle where a two-inch tall Miss Agatha was
crouched and hiding. The glyphs on the bottle made it impervious to
damage.

Benny looked to
the right and saw the third member of the break-in team. A young
woman had a recorder next to the phone and left it playing while
she took aim at Tremble.

Benny whispered
a communication spell and called for a pick-up wagon in a matter of
seconds. As the woman prepared to attack, Benny whistled sharply to
draw her attention. Tremble came through the door, and the woman
was struck with enough glamour to knock her off her feet and have
her licking her lips while crawling toward him.

Benny grabbed
her cuffs and locked the woman’s hands behind her back.

Tremble
chuckled. “Nice work with the cuffs.”

“Thanks.
Getting in and out of them took practice.”

The woman’s
body started to change shape under Benny’s hands.

“Tremble, get
me a length of leather from the third shelf to the left of the
door.”

He got up and
was back in a moment with the thin leather tie.

“What good will
this do?”

Benny straddled
the fighting shifter. “This is a charm shop, dumbass.”

She laced the
leather around the woman’s neck and wrapped it around her biceps,
pulling them tight and whispering the constriction spell.

The attempt to
shift stopped, and the young woman shrieked.

“Clear!” Argyle
and Smith called out as they hauled their opponents to the
door.

“Clear here.”
Tremble called out.

Benny got up
and let Tremble take the shifter. “I will get the proprietor.”

Benny walked
over to the bottle in the corner of the office, and she bowed.
“Your business is clear.”

The woman
nodded and started chanting. She went from two inches tall inside
the bottle to five feet tall outside the bottle. Benny was
unprepared for the hug.

“Oh, thank you.
Thank you. I wasn’t able to finish making the call.”

“What your
automated charms did was enough. I am sure your insurance can
handle any damage that was caused by the break-in.”

Miss Agatha
leaned back. “Do I know you?”

Benny patted
her on the shoulder. “I am Agent Ganger with the XIA. I came here
once with the Mage Guides.”

Miss Agatha
nodded and straightened her tunic. “I thought you looked familiar.
Good work on that short-range will-casting. You have a knack for
it.”

She escorted
the woman out of the shop to where the thieves were being loaded
into the transport under the care of some nulls.

“What charms
were they after?” Benny whispered to Agatha.

“Persuasion and
affection. I don’t keep many in stock, but they can be useful in
their particular line of work.”

Benny quickly
went to the nulls and spoke to the driver. “When they are searched,
look for small squares of paper or pearls or any combination
thereof. They may have gotten some persuasion or affection charms
in their heist.”

“Understood,
Agent. Have a good night.”

Benny turned to
her partners. Smith and Argyle were a little clawed up, but
otherwise fine. Tremble gave Miss Agatha a business card and
gestured for Benny to get back in the SUV.

She slid into
her spot next to the computer and keyed in their completion of the
dispatch order. Once they were confirmed as back on duty, the
screen refreshed and the guys piled in.

“So, how did
you know that the call was fake?” Smith was keeping his voice
casual.

“I wasn’t sure,
but I have met Agatha, and she is not the type to sob
uncontrollably.” Benny watched the screen and she identified
another position. “Sixteenth and Harcourt. A neighbourhood party
has turned into a brawl. Goblin and giant.”

The guys
groaned, and they started to loosen up in preparation for the
match.

It was quite
the start to her first day.

Giant drinking songs
were not for the faint of heart, but since the fight had broken up
before Smith had gotten them there, it was a good sign.

XIA
relationships with the community were sometimes tense, but tonight,
Benny played rock-paper-scissors with one of the goblin children.
She had to play it two handed, and it was best three out of five.
She lost and rubbed the goblin at the base of her skull for a few
minutes.

Argyle was
having an in-depth conversation with the combatants, and Smith was
answering questions on what it meant to be a shifter.

Tremble was
staying at a polite distance from the goblins. Not all of the fey
got along with them, and it was better for him not to cause an
incident.

After
admonishing the group to keep things to community standards, they
returned to their vehicle.

Benny filed
them as complete, and the system refreshed again.

As they pulled
away from the gathering, she sighed. “Stop.”

Smith stopped
the vehicle, and Benny got out. She untied the balloon from the
antenna and walked it back to the laughing giants. “Here you
go.”

She winked and
headed back to the SUV. The laughter increased in volume, and she
didn’t glance back.

She slid into
the car again and buckled up. “It wouldn’t do to have a hot pink
balloon on the antenna.”

She heard
giggling, but she didn’t look around. “Next call is up on
Gravemercy Way. We have an unlicensed rising. The mages should take
it, but they are bogged down. They won’t make it in time to stop
it, and we need to stop it.”

Smith hit the
gas, and she confirmed that they were on their way.